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Another American is giving power to our international reputation for suing every time someone annoys us. So what's the problem? Continental Airlines did not hook up their direct line to Mother Nature before taking Colleen O'Neal up into the friendly skies back in 2009, and the whole plane shook from the turbulence.
She wants the airline to pay for medical treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) plus mental anguish. Of course she does!
Let me make this clear: I'm not mocking PTSD. It's a valid medical condition, and it can be a scary one. The Texas woman's description of the flight -- "so severe she felt like the plane lost power and was falling out of the sky" -- even sounds scary. Not to mention, turbulence ranks right up there with screaming babies and stinky toilets on the reasons people hate to fly. There are entire websites devoted to calming people down about the turbulence risks (low if you stay IN your seat) so the airline industry can keep going.
But why, oh why, do we have to blame everything on someone else and go rushing into the court system with another frivolous lawsuit? By suing Continental plus Colgan Air and Pennacle Airlines for the flight to Houston from College Station, O'Neal is making it pretty clear she blames them for an act of God.
Excuse me for pointing out the obvious, but if airlines could control Mother Nature, we could end all delays. Forever! Heck, I have a good friend who is a pilot, I'd ask him for the secret to ensure sunny skies and 70 degrees right over my house all day, every day.
Statistics show that there is turbulence on just about every flight. Period. Usually it's not as severe as the description O'Neal has been giving people, but you have to know it's a risk when you climb aboard. If anyone had control in this situation, it sounds like the person who got on the plane.
Do you think it's fair to sue an airline for Mother Nature's role in a flight?
Image via quintablet/Flickr
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